"I have absolutely zero tolerance for the abuse of the public trust," said Cohen.

A native of Jeffersontown, Cohen was a top-level lawman and a criminal investigator in Ohio and Kentucky.

Cohen also set up and was director of Kentucky's Insurance Fraud Investigation division.

He was also an assistant U.S. attorney general in Washington, D.C.

And through the U.S. Treasury Department, he tracked the illegal flow of money in to drug cartels and terrorist groups.

Now retired, Cohen said he wants to use his expertise to help clean up the council.

"I want to lend my leadership skills to try and help Metro Council through and resolve any issues so we don't have repeated press stories over and over again like we've had over the last two years," said Cohen.

Benson, who has never been accused of wrongdoing, relies on a grass-roots appeal.

"Nobody has a monopoly on ideas and if you let people tell you things, it's surprising how many things you can do," said Benson.

Benson has been in office 10 years. He's a former tool and die maker and a teacher for 28 years. Benson is focused on fixing Louisville's infrastructure.

"We had a grid. We knew how to get around, but then the dog went this way and we have roads. And no planning, or at least, it doesn't seem like there's planning," said Benson.